The Business Side of Art

April 2017

Bumble is a dating application that was launched in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe, a twenty-seven year old woman. On Bumble, women are the only ones who can initiate contact. As of January 2017, the application has received eleven million registered users. If a woman does not initiate a move within twenty four hours, the connection of the chat will disappear. Women are at ease knowing that they cannot face harassment from random connection. The application also automatically removes the connection if the women decide that they have lost interest.

Bumble’s interface is similar to that of Tinder and it is simple to navigate. Users can connect Bumble to their Facebook profiles making it easier for people to know what you do in your free time. The feedback from the users has been mostly positive. The levels of reported harassment and abuse have been low, less than one percent of the application’s user base. Most women know their expectations when it comes to finding or dating a life partner. Men, on the other hand never have a check list for the right woman.

Whitney Wolfe is also one of the co-founders of Tinder. Whitney Wolfe graduated from Southern Methodist University with a major in International Studies. After her graduation, she worked in orphanages in South East Asia then returned and landed a job at Hatch Labs. In 2014, Whitney Wolfe sued Justin Mateen, the founder of Tinder, for workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. Justin told her that being a female Tinder co-founder was slutty because the app is used for hookups.

Whitney Wolfe got her inspiration of creating Bumble from her reluctance to initiate conversation. She then came up with an ecosystem where a girl gets the number for a guy and I order for the relationship to get anywhere she has to make a move. See: http://time.com/3851583/bumble-whitney-wolfe/

Tammy Mazzocco is an accomplished residential real estate agent who does business with RE/MAX in Pickerington, Ohio in the Central part of the state. Tammy Mazzocco began her real estate sales career after spending several years in administrative duties with various real estate companies in the area.

After having observed the financial opportunities that existed in the sales end of the real estate business, Tammy made the decision in 1999 to join her close friend and mentor, Judy Gang with the Judy Gang Team of RE/MAX. Tammy has never been sorry as she has become one of the top realtors in the state of Ohio.

Tammy Mazzocco will tell you that the joy that she receives from the fact that she can help families find the right house for their budget and lifestyle. Tammy focuses on one thing, and that is the prospective buyer because if that doesn’t happen, the buyer will find someone who will take the time. People are very vulnerable when they are in the position of purchasing a home. Many times they are receiving so much new information they are on overload.

Tammy is focused on helping them through the process, especially when it comes to their time and financial concerns. People appreciate the extra care she gives, and they are more likely to buy a house because of that.

Tammy Mazzocco stresses that a scheduled workday is imperative to her success. She is a goal setter on a yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily basis. She believes in breaking down her goals into smaller action steps because they are easier to achieve that way.

Tammy arrives at the office early and gets office work out of the way as quickly as she can so she can get on the phone and schedule appointments for showing houses. That is where the rubber meets the road, as people who take the time to look at houses, buy the houses, according to Tammy Mazzocco.

About 13 years ago Bruce Levenson was investing in business technology startups and NBA franchises, but now he’s investing in young people and their generous spirits. In a report by PR News, one of these latest investments has been Do Good Institute; a non-profit center that he helped start not long ago and it’s been a key instrument of philanthropy in the Washington D.C. area. Levenson has always been involved in charity but has felt that charity groups often lack leaders and visionaries that could help them succeed. Do Good Institute doesn’t just encourage students to give monetarily, but to put their ingenuity to work at bringing low-cost solutions to non-profit endeavors and building a philanthropy network.

Bruce Levenson first found his entrepreneurial passions while he was a journalist writing articles for the Washington Star. He had considered entering law and even earned a J.D. from American University law school, but he had become so established in journalism that he abandoned that idea. He decided to start his own paper in 1977 and he and Ed Peskowitz purchased some printing equipment and ran their operation right out of their apartment. Their first paper Oil Express took off rapidly that soon Levenson and Peskowitz found themselves starting a major company later known as Unified Communications Group (UCG). Along with running this company Levenson also served on the Board of Directors at BIA Digital Partners.

Bruce Levenson bought the Atlanta Hawks in 2004 and also owned some shares in the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers for a short time. Despite a fairly successful tenure as owner of the Hawks, Levenson decided to sell the team in 2015 to Tony Ressler for $850 million, a value about $400 million higher than the projected market value. Levenson also was one of the founders of Hoop Dreams, a Washington D.C. basketball tournament whose proceeds went to scholarship funds.

Recently, Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water and Skyscanner joined forces to a create a dream come true contest for one lucky winner. The prize was a 4 day trip with round-trip airfare to Oahu, Hawaii for the Wanderlust Yoga Festival held in February 2017.

According to Specialty Food, many people may not have heard of Waiakea Water, but the story behind it is truly remarkable. Founder and CEO, Ryan Emmons grew up in California and spent much of his time in Hawaii, learning to appreciate its culture and lifestyle.

He graduated early from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, with a BS in Business Administration. In 2012, just one year out of college, Emmons formed Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water.

Under Emmons’ leadership, Waiakea gives back by donating to local projects and nonprofits in Hawaii including; The Kama’aha Initiative, INPEACE, and Kupu. In the African nation of Malawi, Emmons donated over one billion liters of clean water to the people and sponsored the building several Elephant Pumps, an ancient design of water pump that does not need electricity.

Success in business may have come at an early age for Emmons, but he remains steadfast in his vision for Waiakea. He wants to provide delicious, healthy water not only for the people of Hawaii but also providing access to clean water for people in need in Africa.

Fabletics was founded less than five years ago, and right now they are amongst the biggest competitors of Amazon, when it comes to the sports apparel niche. By the year 2016, the company had made sales of over $250, something that most companies, in this industry, only see as a dream. So, if you are wondering how they have made it this far with such a short amount of time, and in such a competitive industry. Here are some reasons why

Integrated Online and Offline Stores

One of the biggest reasons behind the success of Fabletics is the integration of online and offline stores. This way they are able attract clients from both worlds. They understand that there are some clients who love the convenience of shopping online. For these reason, they have a website where such clients can shop. Also, they have offline stores for those that find it difficult to trust online shopping platforms with their money information. So far, they have established in regions like Florida, Hawaii, California and Illinois.

Reverse Showrooming

The reverse showrooming strategy is a winning strategy for Fabletics. In the early stages, Fabletics identified that most people go online to check out what is new and trending. Thereafter, they go to the nearest local physical stores to look for the same. This way, they end up making the online stores as showrooms only. To reverse this and make people buy from their online store, they utilize a membership strategy. With this membership strategy, clients are credited $49.95. With this money, you get up to a three piece apparel, which will only be shipped to you when you request. If you want to skip a certain month, you can choose to do so without being charged a dime. This strategy has enabled them capitalize on their leads. Right now, more than 35% of the people who visit their website, purchase something.

Accessibility

Fabletics products are very accessible. They are highly affordable, compared to the established brands like the likes of Nike and Lulu Lemon. Additionally, Fabletics offers mad discounts on their products, especially if you are a VIP member. If so, you will always get apparels on discount. Then there is the issue of loyalty points. These loyalty points can be redeemed for freebies whenever you please. This makes them fight for the market share of this brands.

Value

With Fabletics, you are guaranteed of getting value for your money. The quality of their sports gears is compared to some of the premium brands in the market that are defined by high prices. You will find that their products don’t stretch out or fade. Also, they are made from quality material and the sewing is great. And if you are to join their membership program today, you get two leggings for $24. These are leggings that are otherwise worth more than $100. If this isn’t the true definition of value for your money, I do not know what is.